The Return Of The King Of Evil
by KingBowser444
Summary: Some foes just don't know how to stay down...but, what do you do when this enemy takes a precious hostage that never leaves his side? It's up to a known group of video game characters and an original character to figure it out!
1. The Past Can Catch Up To You

Author's Notes: Okay, first some background on this. This is actually the final story of this series that I wrote. As some may know from peeking at/reading my "Feudal Dream" story, I had the tendency to overwrite previous stories with new ones to save space on my harddrive. :( This is set in a slightly alternate universe based at bit on the crossover game "Super Smash Bros.", but takes place in the world established by "Super Mario RPG". In this universe, Bowser has reformed and leads a video game "Justice League" of sorts, called the Bowser Clan. An original character, introduced in a later chapter, is this version of Bowser's adoptive son.

I just wanted to clear up a few details before you started to read this story I wrote back in 2006. This story is based off an existing fanfic called "The Quest" written by one Chris Waters. At the time I started to write this, as far as I was aware, this fanfic was not finished, but it spured on a few ideas in my head. So, before I am accused to stealing his ideas, I'm telling you that I based this story off of his work. If the story is finished now, just consider this an alternative take on that story. Enjoy. :)

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Bowser Clan Adventure: Return of the King of Evil

Shortly after the horrifying experience of almost losing their wives, the Bowser Clan husbands took extra special care of them for quite a while. After about three months, they lessened their guard again. No more threats seemed to be upon them at that current time, so the Clan had sometime off to relax. A major Bowser Clan crisis occurred during those three months, however. Wario and Waluigi went back to their greedy ways and were caught embezzling government funds, so Bowser was forced to kick them out of the Bowser Clan and banish them from the Keep.

Today, however, all of the men were enjoying a Koopa Kingdom Baseball game, while all of the wives were in the kitchen, baking away with some of Bowser's finest chefs. In the seventh inning, Luigi excused himself and headed upstairs. He went towards the Game Room, but made a detour into the Mario Bros.' room. Luigi had a secret game stash in his nightstand, but it was buried deep within it. So, after he started to rummage around for a little, Luigi came across a bizarre item. He'd come across a black pendent that he'd completely forgotten about. Luigi:"Hey, I remember this thing! I recovered it off of Kamek1 during one of our final confrontations with Bowser..."

_20 Years Ago..._

All around Bowser's Keep, lightning struck giving the about one-millionth battle between the Mario Bros. and the Koopa Troop a somewhat dramatic feel to it. As Mario and Luigi grew ever closer to the main gates of the Keep, Kamek watched in fear; if the Mario Bros. made it inside the Keep, Bowser would ring his neck for sure! So, Kamek desperate searched around his room for something that he could use to stop the Mario Bros., or at least slow them down. He soon found what he was looking for and teleported himself near the Throne Room of the Keep.

Meanwhile...the Mario Bros. were easily fighting past all of the troops that were in their path. Once all of them were defeated, they turned and gave each other a high-five. Mario:"All the troops are down," Luigi:"So now Bowser will know that..." Both:"We're the best, so here we go!" With these inspiring words, they both charged the door to the Throne Room.

Voice:"[Screeching] So, you two plumbers think that you'll be able to reach Bowser with _me_ standing in the way? We'll see about that!" With this, Kamek appeared, wearing a necklace with the black pendent attached to it. Mario:"Back off, Kamek! You can't beat us alone!" Luigi:"Yeah, you're outnumbered and overpowered!" Kamek:"Oh, I had no intention of fighting both of you at once..." With an evil laugh, the magikoopa waved his wand and Mario disappeared in flash of red!

Luigi:"What did you do to him!" Kamek:"Your brother is perfectly fine. That is, of course, if you call being sent to face Bowser fine. You, on the other hand, are going to be playing a golden harp in a few moments!" By waving his wand, Kamek sent a large number of brick flying straight at Luigi! The plumber in green leaped into the air with his foot extended and tried to do a flying kick on Kamek. However, Kamek teleported himself out of the way. Luigi saw where Kamek reappeared, so he used his legs to bounce himself off of the wall and tackled the unsuspecting Kamek. After he'd pounced on Kamek, Luigi grabbed his legs and hurled him into a nearby wall.

Upon impact, the necklace flew off of Kamek's neck and into Luigi's hand. Kamek smiled with a sinister connotation. Kamek:"Now, experience a new power!" With these words, Kamek suddenly died! Luigi was just about to enter the Throne Room, when suddenly Mario came bursting through the doors, with Princess Peach in tow. Only a few steps behind them, a very enraged Bowser was chasing the threesome! Mario, Luigi, and Peach ran as fast as their legs could carry them, outrunning the slow, lumbering Bowser. Soon, they managed to reach the front gate to the Keep and escaped. Bowser gave up the chase once they reached the gate and stormed back into the Throne Room. Before they were out of earshot of the keep, the two plumbers and the princess heard, "Funga! Foiled again!" explode from the Keep.

**Back in the Present**

Luigi reached into the drawer and took hold of the Black Pendent. He immediately got a sever headache, and felt as though a great swell of hatred was filling his body! Suddenly, a cold, raspy voice seemed to explode out of the Pendent! Voice:"It is _I_ the spirit of the Pendent! Luigi, you have been chosen!" Luigi was somewhat intrigued by what the spirit had said, and replied, "Chosen for what?" Spirit:"To rule the entire world!" This statement hits Luigi like a fist to the stomach. Luigi:"No way! This world is ruled by several different people, all of whom have every right to rule!" Spirit:"Think about it...I will give you power beyond your imagination; nothing would be able to stop you, everything would be completely under your control, everything and anything you could possibly want, you can have!"

Luigi:"I don't work for evil!" The spirit of the Pendent laughed sinisterly and a barrier of black and white energy suddenly surrounded Luigi's body. The barrier got smaller and smaller by the second! Spirit:"You see, Luigi, it's quite simple; either you embrace the powers of evil or you die in a heart beat!" Luigi looked in every direction for a means of escape, but it was hopeless. And though he didn't like the choices, he chose life. He took off his glove and grabbed hold of the Pendent. Immediately feelings of every form of evil known filled his body as the Pendent's spirit laughed evilly. All Luigi could do was pray to Heaven that he would be forgiven for whatever atrocities the Pendent's spirit would commit in his body.

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1Kamek is more commonly known as Magikoopa.


	2. Seeking A Legend

Once the spirit took total control of his body, Luigi became Dark Luigi. Dark Luigi:"[Inner] Despite my tremendous power, that overgrown turtle freak is still more of a brute than I. I'll have to find someway to dispose of him before I can take over this world."

Dark Luigi returned downstairs and played the charade that he was still the original Luigi. The spirit knew everything that Luigi did and was able to replicate his voice. Before returning to the living room to watch the ball game, Dark Luigi made a pit-stop at the Keep Library. Once the ball game was over, Dark Luigi pulled Bowser aside to talk to him in private. Dark Luigi:"Hey Bowser! I found a mysterious scroll in your library a while ago! I think it is some kind of legend! It reads, "He who wields Mortal Protection and recites the 1,000 word prayer, 1,000 times in 10 days shall be granted a Heavenly Guard." Bowser was immediately intrigued. Bowser:"Hmm...where do I find this prayer depicted in the legend?" Dark Luigi:"The scroll says that there is a hidden catacomb beneath **Belome's Temple**. Within that catacomb, there his a mystical portal. From what I read in the scroll, the portal takes you to a far off land in front of a church. Inside that church, the prayer lies."

Dark Luigi could tell that he'd ensnared Bowser's curiosity and gave a sly, sinister expression that escaped Bowser's notice. Bowser:"That sounds like quite a venture. But, what about the others?" Dark Luigi:"Bowser, you've been stopping evil non-stop for months; you deserve this little personal excursion. Besides, we'll be able to take care of any little problems without you while you're gone." Bowser finally gave in to Dark Luigi's suggestion. Bowser:"I suppose you're right. I'll just have to let everybody know that I'll be gone..." Dark Luigi:"Relax. Just go, I'll tell everyone for you." Bowser was curious as to why Luigi wanted him to leave so badly, but he thought nothing of it. Bowser knew that the original Luigi was trustworthy, so he simply grabbed the _Koopa King_'s keys, started the engine, and roared off towards **Monstro Town**. As soon as Bowser was out of sight, Dark Luigi grinned evilly. Dark Luigi:"[Inner] Excellent."

It was scarcely 11:00 AM when Bowser roared off from the Keep. With the Koopa King's superior speed of 220 mph, Bowser was out of Vista City, through Mushroom Kingdom, and partially through Rose Town by the time lunch rolled around. Bowser, however, knew better than to stop in Rose Town, because the police there **loved** to give parking tickets. Once he was through Rose Town, Bowser continued onward through Moleville, Booster Pass, and Marrymore. Soon after that, Bowser took the extensive highway on Star Hill down to Seaside Town. From there, all that was left to do was go up! Using a recently constructed mountainous super-highway on Land's End, Bowser was able to reach Monstro Town by about 1:00 PM.

Bowser found a place to park the Koopa King and looked around. Bowser:"[Inner] Wow! This place sure has grown by leaps and bounds since that World's Fair almost nine months ago. But, no time to take the tour. Sure the rest of the Clan may be able to handle things, but I still have this gut feeling that something is about to go terribly wrong..."

For the moment, however, Bowser put this worry in the back of his mind. Bowser drove towards an underground tunnel in the city. Once underground, Bowser dismounted the Koopa King. He then yanked the tongue on a Belome1 Statue and a fortune came out. The fortune read, "Sorry, I'm not expecting any visitors. It's past my bed time." Bowser:"This is the one I wanted. This leads to an even further underground section of this temple. Perhaps there's a secret room within it." Bowser proceeded to leap onto a block, which served as an elevator, and was taken down deeper into the temple.

Once Bowser reached the desired room, he took out the mysterious scroll that "Luigi" had handed to him. Bowser:"[Inner] It says here that within this room, there should be a special panel on the wall. If I press it, a door should open." So, Bowser began to rub his hands along the wall, trying to feel out a loose panel in the wall. Bowser felt around the room for several minutes, but couldn't find the particular panel he desired. Bowser gave a hopeless sounding sigh and leaned against the wall, plotting he next method of discovery. However, the wall gave in under his weight and fell inward. When the dust cleared, Bowser could see a yellow orb floating in midair.

Bowser walked toward the orb. The moment he touched it, every molecule in his body was broken down and sent off into space. His molecules reintegrated in the sky. Bowser fell a short distance and found himself in front of a chapel. Bowser:"This must be the place." Bowser pulled out a remote control and pressed a button. Bowser:"Now the Koopa King should track the signal and reach me here." There were several hundred steps leading up to the chapel, but that was nothing for Bowser; using his incredible strength, Bowser focused his power into his legs and leaped upward, over half of the distance. With another focused leap, Bowser was at the top of the staircase.

Bowser landed in front of the chapel entrance. After a short walk, Bowser was inside of the chapel and he could see that the chapel was only one large room. The room was brightly decorated with gold and purple rugs, and beautiful paintings of different priests. In front of him, Bowser spotted a large scroll. Written on it, in tiny font, was the depicted 1,000 word prayer. It was about 2:00 PM and Bowser had only ten days to read it 1,000 times, according to the legend. With this knowledge, Bowser started reading straight away.

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1Belome is a large monster with an even larger tongue. Mario and Bowser faced him multiple times during their quest to find the seven missing Star Pieces in Super Mario RPG:Legend of the Seven Stars.


	3. Evil Makes It's Mark

_Meanwhile, halfway across the Koopa Kingdom..._Dark Luigi sets his plan into motion. Everyone is curious as to where the King of the Koopas has gone. Unlike usual, Bowser had left no message as to his leaving nor any clues as to where he had gone. Bowser had left that charge with "Luigi". Dark Luigi, however, had no intentions of telling any of the other Bowser Clan members where their leader had gone.

It was 11:00 PM, several hours after Bowser had left the Keep to chase the legend. Everyone else had gone to bed, except for a particular villainous soul; Dark Luigi sat awake in the living room, holding in his hand a magic dagger composed of Dark Magic. Dark Luigi sat surrounded by candles, as if in a meditative state. A few minutes after 11, Mario, who couldn't sleep, came downstairs for a midnight snack. On the way to the kitchen, Mario sees the light from the candles emanating from the living room and decides to investigate.

Mario walks into the living room to see "Luigi" holding the knife in his hand. Mario:"[Confused] Luigi, what's going on?" Dark Luigi:"Brother, where is everyone?" Dark Luigi's voice sounded very cold when compared to the brother Mario knew. Mario:"Everyone else is in bed, asleep as far as I know, except you and I." With this answer, Dark Luigi suddenly leaps forward and stabs Mario in the chest with the Dark Magic Dagger. Mario gasps, gives a look of utter confusion and dismay, and then collapses to the ground. Mario's wound left no blood, but a pure white smoke oozed out of the wound. After a little bit, the smoke stopped.

Dark Luigi:"Hmmmmmm...Mario's soul will make a very fine trophy as the marking of my conquest of the Koopa Kingdom. Dark Luigi immediately afterwards ran into an unexpected snag in his plan; Puppet/Gatorous1 had arrived home from the Police Station and saw the whole ordeal! Dark Luigi suddenly turned when he heard the sound of PG's Frinesi Tactical 12-Gauge cocking. PG:"Alright, Lowlife. I know you can't be the real Luigi. Now, who are you and what's your motive?" Dark Luigi just looked onward at the two-bodied freak before him. PG:"TALK! Or so help me, I'll turn you into swiss cheese!"

Dark Luigi locked onto the real Luigi's memories; after finding the one he desired, he answered Puppet/Gatorous. Dark Luigi:"You must be the adopted freakshow son of that giant turtle. Hahahahahahaha...you may know me as the spirit within the Black Pendent. As for my motive, I want to rule all of the Koopa Kingdom and annihilate the Bowser Clan. I was going to go after Link next, but I can't have you spoiling my plans, you abomination against nature!" Before PG could react, Dark Luigi moved at superhuman speed across the room and stabbed them! PG:"You...Scumbag! It...can't...be..." As PG's soul left their body, Dark Luigi laughed with glee! Dark Luigi:"I'll have to dispose of the bodies, and I shouldn't continue tonight or the others might catch on. But, nonetheless, my plan will come to fruition! Hahahahahahahaha!"

The next morning, Princess Daisy was astonished to find Luigi not next to her when she woke up; Princess Peach felt equally dismayed when Mario didn't appear next to her in their bed. When everyone else awoke and met in the kitchen, all of the Bowser Clan members and their wives were there, except for Bowser, Mario, and Luigi. "Luigi" was found asleep on the couch in the living room. Dark Luigi went back to playing the charade of being the real Luigi and said, "Sorry, Daisy. I was watching a late-night movie and I must've dosed off." Now that Luigi's whereabouts were confirmed, as far as the Bowser Clan was concerned, they thought nothing else of it. As for Mario, however, they were deeply concerned. Peach:"Has any one seen that husband of mine? And where on this Earth has that no good Koopa gone?" Fox:"I haven't seen or heard from Mario or Bowser since yesterday." Earthworm Jim:"Nor have either I or Princess What's-Her-Name." It seemed as though no one knew where they were, except Dark Luigi.

Halfway across the world, Bowser continuously reads the 1,000 Word Prayer. Despite his being extremely stupid, Bowser was gifted with exceptionally fast reading. Despite having only been at it 18 hours, Bowser had already read the prayer 97.5 times! _Meanwhile, back at Bowser's Keep..._Everyone continued to worry about Mario and Bowser. Puppet/Gatorous wasn't missed because they work usually from early morning to late night every day. Several worrisome hours passed at the Keep. Finally, nightfall came and everyone went to bed. After making absolutely sure that Daisy was asleep, Dark Luigi springs out of bed and into action. Dark Luigi had a one track mind-to kill Link!

Dark Luigi soon got his chance; after wandering around the Keep for sometime, he heard the sound of an arrow hitting a target, coming from the gym. Dark Luigi entered, again playing the charade of being the real Luigi. Dark Luigi:"Can't sleep?" Link:"[Sighs] No, afraid not. I still can't figure out how Mario just disappeared like that. I bet you're worried sick about your brother." Dark Luigi:"That I am. But, I think Peach is even more worried than I." Link:"I can honestly believe that."

Dark Luigi motioned at Link's bow. Dark Luigi:"I can't sleep either. Mind if I try out the bow?" Link didn't see any problem with Luigi having a go at it, so he handed over his bow. The real Luigi didn't know the first thing about archery, so Link said, "Wait. Here, let me show you the basics..." Link had unwittingly fallen into Dark Luigi's trap. As soon as Link took the bow and demonstrated how to aim, Dark Luigi pulled out his Dark Magic Dagger and stabbed Link in the gut. Link:"Luigi! How...could...you?" As white smoke emanated from Link's wound, Dark Luigi smiled with sinister delight. Dark Luigi:"Two Bowser Clan souls down, seven more to go. Hahahahaha!" After this evil laugh, Dark Luigi disposed of Link's body in the underground **Koopa Tomb**, laying it in a coffin next to Mario's. After this act, he went back to bed, already plotting his next victim!

The next morning was much like the previous one. Peach was quite worried that Mario still didn't return. Except this time, Zelda was able to share in her pain; she woke up with no Link lying next to her. Everyone searched all over the Keep for the two missing heroes, but neither could be found. Everyone met back in the Main Hall of the Keep, each reporting their un-findings. Earthworm Jim:"Someone or something is knocking us off one-by-one, and I intend to find out who!" Dark Luigi:"[Inner] I think I just found my next target!" _Across the world..._Bowser was 42 hours into his reading journey, having read the Prayer 220 times! Several more worry filled hours passed in Bowser's Keep. This night, however, Earthworm Jim was on patrol in the Keep.

After a couple of hours, Dark Luigi rose from bed and wandered downstairs. He found Jim beginning to doze off in the Main Hall. Dark Luigi once more did the "friendly act". Dark Luigi:"It seems that the night is taking its toll on you. Would you like me to relieve you?" Earthworm Jim:"I appreciate it Luigi, but no thanks. Once this nefarious crook shows himself, I intend to put him out of his, and our, misery." Dark Luigi:"That's very noble of you, Jim. I'll help you patrol at least. You go that way, I'll search in this direction." After thanking "Luigi" for his aid, Earthworm Jim started towards the gym, where Link was "killed". Once Jim had his back turned, Dark Luigi used a dishonorable tactic and leaped onto Jim's back. Jim was groggy and unprepared, so Dark Luigi's task of slicing the back of Jim's neck was an exceedingly simple one. Earthworm Jim:"Luigi! It was...you!"

Jim's worm body sunk down into the Supersuit, as the white smoke of his soul emanated from it. Dark Luigi carried the suit, with Jim inside, down to the Koopa Tomb. Dark Luigi then placed the body into a coffin and bolted a lid down upon it. Dark Luigi laughed with devilish delight. Dark Luigi:"This is becoming quite entertaining! However, I'll have to pick my next victim carefully. The others are starting to realize that something is amiss. Hahahahahahaha!"

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1Puppet/Gatorous is my own personal creation and the embodiment of my alter ego. As far as the story is concerned, PG is the best police officer/secret agent in Vista City or the rest of the Mushroom World.


	4. Creeping Darkness

The next morning, everyone discovered to their dismay that Earthworm Jim wasn't among them anymore. Always playing the innocent bystander, Dark Luigi points out, "It seems that whomever is after the Bowser Clan got the jump on Jim." All of the wives' worries began to maximize, each fearing that their husband could be next. Peach:"That is **it**! That miserable Koopa isn't anywhere around when his friends need him the most! I swear, the next time I see that creep, I'm going to really give him a piece of my mind!" At this outburst, Dark Luigi snickered inwardly.

Several hours later, once nightfall fell, Dark Luigi began to plot his next victim. Dark Luigi was able to gather that everybody was beginning to see a trend-he had been going after all of the other members with spouses. So, tonight, Dark Luigi decided that he'd better end that trend and start anew. After everybody else had been asleep for several hours, Dark Luigi crept out of his room and stealthily went towards the East Wing of the Keep. There, he found Kirby, sleeping like a baby. This, however, didn't deter Dark Luigi's ulterior motive. Dark Luigi stabbed the sleeping Bowser Clan member and carried the soulless body down into the Koopa Tomb. Dark Luigi:"That was simple enough. I suppose that tomorrow night, I'll steal Mewtwo's soul." Dark Luigi once again accessed the real Luigi's memories and discovered something unusual about his next target. Dark Luigi:"It seems that he never sleeps, but always goes into deep meditation. I should be able to destroy him undetected. Hahahahahahahahaha!"

The next morning, although they were happy to see that he was alright, everyone was also slightly disheartened to see that Fox was unharmed, in addition to Luigi. Fox was the last remaining Bowser Clan member, besides "Luigi", that had a spouse. But with Fox alright, it meant that the killer had changed their tactics. Everybody also noticed that Kirby was missing from the group. They searched all over the Keep or him, but couldn't find the eight inch puffball. Falco:"This is really bad. We have no clues as to even who this mystery killer is, nor know any motivation as to why he or she wants to knock us off." Samas:"Well, I suggest that we better find something out and fast, because if we aren't prepared by nightfall, another one of us could bite the dust!" With that, the remaining Bowser Clan members spent the rest of the day looking around the Keep for any possible clues.

Unfortunately, they were unable to find any traces of entry, no accidentally discarded weapons, nothing. Nightfall rolled around, and the Bowser Clan had to be prepared for the killer to enter the Keep. Everyone stayed awake as long as they could, but around 1:00 AM, everybody had had it. In addition, they figured that if the killer hadn't entered the Keep by then, he wasn't coming at all. Only very slightly reassured, the Bowser Clan and their wives went to bed. Only a few moments later, everyone fell soundly asleep.

That is, of course, with the exception of Dark Luigi. Dark Luigi crept towards Mewtwo's chamber, almost as silently as a mouse. Once Dark Luigi reached the upper levels of the East Wing, he opened Mewtwo's door. The door creaked annoyingly, but Mewtwo didn't stir until Dark Luigi entered the room. Mewtwo:"Luigi, what are you doing here? You should be in bed, and can't you see that I'm meditating?" Dark Luigi played innocent; Dark Luigi:"Sorry, Mewtwo. I was just scouting around the Keep, checking on everybody before I turned in."

Suddenly, Mewtwo used his telekinetic powers and slammed Dark Luigi against the wall. Mewtwo:"I knew it was you! I've been detecting a soul around the Keep that was unfamiliar to me, and the presence of this soul increased dramatically whenever you were around. Now, what have you done with the real Luigi, you fiendish imposter!" Dark Luigi:"Hahahahahahahaha! Luigi is quite well, he's merely trapped inside his own body. I've assumed complete control over his mind, body, and soul." All of a sudden, Dark Luigi broke free of Mewtwo's telekinetic grasp! He pinned Mewtwo against the wall, using a little Dark Magic. Dark Luigi:"The Dark Magic barrier I put around myself makes me immune to your **Psychic Powers**1!" After dispensing this information to Mewtwo, Dark Luigi emotionlessly stabbed Mewtwo in the chest. Once Mewtwo's soul was captured, Dark Luigi carried the body down to the Koopa Tomb, and placed it inside a coffin.

As dawn of the sixth day since Bowser left arrived, the King of the Koopas was over halfway finished with his reading! He'd read the Prayer 600 times! However, back home for his friends, things were not playing out nearly as nicely. Once everyone woke up, they discovered that once again a husband wasn't the target, but Mewtwo had been taken! Falco:"Things couldn't possibly be worse! Mewtwo was our best chance at finding this killer! But, now Mewtwo has been defeated." The situation was looking hopeless for the Bowser Clan. The Black Pendent's spirit's disguise as Luigi was proving to be completely flawless, with the exception of Mewtwo's ability to sense Lifeforce.

But, suddenly, Samas spoke out. Samas:"I've battled aliens, I've battled monsters, I've battled just about anything under the heavens. With my helmet, I'll be able to see our mystery man in the dark, right down to his core. I'll be in the Main Hall tonight after everyone goes to sleep. I intend to nip this in the bud." Banjo-Kazooie:"I hate to be the Devil's Advocate, Samas, but Earthworm Jim already tried this!" Samas:"True, but Jim isn't a well-trained Bounty Hunter, is he?" Everyone gave a hopeful smile.

Later that night, Samas put her plan into motion. She crouched in a far corner of the Main Hall and activated every sensor on her Power Suit's helmet. With the sensors, she'd be able to have night, thermographic, and x-ray vision! After she waited patiently until half past one in the morning, Samas began to grow impatient. Samas:"[Inner] I wonder if the killer put bugs in Keep, so he'd know our every move?" Soon after she'd pondered this, Dark Luigi showed up in the Main Hall. Dark Luigi:"This waiting game is proving to be a waste of time, isn't it?" Suddenly, the sensors on Samas's helmet started to go crazy! They'd detected the foreign spirit within Luigi's body!

With this knowledge, Samas suddenly clubbed Dark Luigi with the barrel of her Power Cannon. Samas:"I just have one thing to ask, whomever you really are, and that is-What is your reason for doing this? What has the Bowser Clan ever done to you?" Dark Luigi recovered from the smack to his face and replied, "They've taken everything I've ever dreamed of from me! Is the freedom to take over the world so much to ask for?" Suddenly, Dark Luigi sent out a beam of Dark Magic that pinned Samas against the wall. However, Samas activated her **Plasma Shield**, which served to protect her from all kinds of magic!

Dark Luigi wasn't expecting this, but took it in stride. He moved forward with superhuman speed and clubbed Samas across the head. Because of Dark Luigi's super strength, Samas's helmet flew off! To make matters worse for Samas, this also deactivated her Plasma Shield! Samas was stunned by the attack, but she recovered and prepared to fire a **5-Way Plasma Laser**. However, she was too late, and Dark Luigi tackled her to the ground. Dark Luigi:"It's a shame that such great beauty as your's has to be eradicated, but I won't miss you at all, Bounty Hunter!" With that, he used his Dark Magic Dagger and slashed Samas across her unprotected face. After Dark Luigi checked the surroundings, to see if the small confrontation had woken anybody, he replaced Samas's helmet on her head and carried her body down to the Koopa Tomb. Dark Luigi:"Another day's evil complete. Six Bowser Clan souls captured, three more remain. Hahahahahahahahahaha!"

The following morning, everyone discovered, with immense disconcertion, that Samas had been defeated by the killer! Banjo-Kazooie:"This is not good. This killer has managed to outsmart some of our best fighters. The only way we can think of to help to compensate is to not travel along at night. It doesn't matter if you're just going for a midnight snack or even the lavatory, do not travel alone!" Falco:"I second that." Fox:"Yeah, I don't think that this killer will be able to stand up to two of us at once!"

That night, the morning's boost of confidence had Dark Luigi smarting. He didn't know whether he'd be able to deal with two Bowser Clan members at once or not. After all, a couple of them gave him trouble by themselves! However, his problem soon solved itself. Outside of his room, Dark Luigi heard footsteps. He went out to investigate and discovered Falco, all by his lonesome. Dark Luigi:"Didn't B-K say to not go anywhere without another person to accompany you?" Falco:"Sorry, Luigi. Did I wake you?" Dark Luigi:"No, I was already awake from worry." Dark Luigi's lie eased Falco's tension. Falco:"Everyone in the East Wing besides myself was defeated by that killer. And besides, I didn't want to wake anybody else up. I was just heading down to the ground floor for a snack. Care to join me?"

Dark Luigi saw his opportunity and didn't let it slip by. It was past one in the morning, so Falco saw little need to be afraid; in the past, Dark Luigi hadn't stuck after 1:00 AM, unless he knew that someone was waiting for him. Falco entered the kitchen first and had his back turned to Dark Luigi. Dark Luigi wasted little time and stabbed the brave bird in the back! Falco jarred, then slumped to the ground. After giving an evil smile, Dark Luigi carried the "dead" body of Falco to the Koopa Tomb and filled yet another coffin!

Across the world, things were going well for Bowser; he progressed through 775 read-through's! Back at the Keep, however, was an entirely different story; upon discovering Falco's fate, Fox and Krystal greatly lamented their friend's passing. Fox:"I was awake until about midnight." B-K:"As were we." Dark Luigi:"Then it would seem that our mystery killer is attacking very late at night." Daisy:"He's attacking at erratic times! How do we figure him out?" Zelda:"Indeed. I fear for your husband's life, and your's as well, Krystal." What's-Her-Name:"I've already lost my husband. I don't want to see either of you two lose your's." Banjo-Kazooie:"So, what's the plan?" Fox:"I haven't the faintest idea of what we can do to stop this fiend. He seems to be able to bypass the security locks. But, I doubt he was able to escape the security cameras! Why didn't I think of this before?"

With this, the Bowser Clan members headed towards the security room. All of the security items seemed to be intact, along with security tapes. Dark Luigi, however, had planned on his being spotted by the security cameras and destroyed the real tapes! He replaced them with tapes showing the Bowser Clan members being killed by an invisible man! B-K:"Oh, you've gotta be kiddin' me! We're facing an invisible threat!" Fox:"That appears to be the case. I can only suggest that we stay on our toes and hope we find him before he finds us!"

Later that night, Daisy fell asleep quickly, exhausted from her constant worrying. With this in mind, Dark Luigi decided to strike early, and once again break his trend. Dark Luigi decided to go after Banjo-Kazooie and save Fox for last. With this prerogative in mind, Dark Luigi headed towards the West Wing; Banjo-Kazooie had the first room on the West end of the house. Banjo, despite trying to stay awake, dozed off and slept soundly. Kazooie, who slept in Banjo's backpack, was just the opposite. She was wide awake. When Dark Luigi entered the room, she started to shout loudly to get Banjo to wake up. She only got off one shout before Dark Luigi cut her across the neck. That was, however, enough to wake Banjo. Banjo stirred just in time to see Dark Luigi loom over him with the Dark Magic Dagger!

Dark Luigi shoved the Dagger downward into Banjo's bed. Banjo moved at the last possible second to dodge the blade. Banjo proceeded to smack Dark Luigi across the face, leaving three deep gashes across the fiend's face! With anger, Dark Luigi retaliated and stabbed Banjo in the same hand that smacked him. Banjo fell backwards onto his bed, soulless. Dark Luigi's face stung as the air hit it. Regardless, he went about his work, placing Banjo's backpack on his back and carried the bear and bird duo down to the Tomb. Once there he placed the bodies in a coffin. Dark Luigi:"Curse that bear! I'll never be able to hide this wound! My only hope is that I can fool the others into thinking I rubbed up against one of that Koopa's statues!" With his face still smarting, Dark Luigi left the Koopa Tomb and returned to bed, where an unconscious Daisy waited.

* * *

1The idea of the Dark Magic barrier making Dark Luigi immune to Mewtwo's Psychic abilities was taken from Pokemon. In the game series, Dark-Type Pokemon are completely immune to Psychic-Type attacks, thus making Psychic-Type Pokemon almost powerless against Dark-Types.


	5. The Final Poly

The next morning when everyone met for breakfast, they were astonished to find Banjo-Kazooie missing. In addition, Dark Luigi was questions as to the gashes on his face. Dark Luigi:"I was groping around in the dark and rubbed up against one of Bowser's statues. It's nothing." Fox had his doubts about "Luigi's" story, but said nothing at the time.

Later in the day, Fox was standing in front of a Bowser statue, examining it. After Fox had stared at it for a few minutes, Krystal joined him in front of the statue. Krystal:"Is something wrong, Fox?" Fox:"Something about Luigi's story just didn't sit right with me. I can't put my finger on it, though. I've been looking at this statue's claws. Since all the statues match, there's no chance of a different statue giving a different mark if someone were to scrap up against it, right?"

Krystal:"Go on." Fox:"Well, the mark on Luigi's face was going in a diagonal direction. If he was groping in the dark, like he said, then the worst it would've done was give a vertical or horizontal mark." Krystal:"I'm not following you, Fox." Fox:"Luigi looks like he was attacked, by something bigger than him. If he really did scrap up against a statue it wouldn't have left deep scratches like that. I know it sound's harsh, but I think Luigi got those marks on his face from our buddy, Banjo!"

No body else was in the room with the couple, which, for the direction the conversation was turning, was a good thing. Krystal:"Are you saying that you think Luigi is the killer?" Fox:"That's exactly what I think. I don't want to believe it myself, but how else could the killer get to each of the other members without being noticed? And why weren't there any signs of entry?" Krystal:"I sincerely hope your wrong on this one, Fox." Fox:"Krystal, I hope I'm wrong as well, but tonight, I better `sleep with one eye open' if you catch my drift."

For the remainder of the day, Fox and Krystal secretly eyed Luigi, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Dark Luigi kept his act up excellently, until night fell. That night, when Dark Luigi thought everyone was asleep, he crept over towards the last room on the West Wing, Fox and Krystal's room. The door didn't creek, nor did the floor when Dark Luigi stepped on it. Dark Luigi crept over to Fox's side of the bed and prepared to stab him. However, Fox's fist suddenly struck Dark Luigi in the face!

Fox:"I knew you'd come for me tonight...Luigi!" Dark Luigi laughed with evil glee. Dark Luigi:"You actually think I'm your friend? I'm the spirit of the Black Pendent Luigi wears around his neck! I've assumed complete control of his mind, body, and soul! The Bowser Clan has stood in my way long enough! It's time for you to die!" With that, Dark Luigi lunged at Fox, who rolled out of bed in the opposite direction. Fox:"Krystal! Leave now! Get the other wives together and find sanctuary somewhere!" She started to protest, then realized that he was doing this to protect her, and ran for her life out of the room. Once Krystal left the room, she started to round up the other Bowser Clan wives.

Dark Luigi swung at Fox with his Dark Magic Dagger, but Fox blocked it with **The McCloud Family Beam Sword**. The two clashed blades for a little bit, then Fox saw an opening. He punched Dark Luigi twice then roundhouse-kicked him in the jaw, sending him flying backward a few feet. Dark Luigi stood back up and ran at Fox, using his superhuman speed. Unfortunately for Dark Luigi, Fox was also superhumanly agile. He dodged Dark Luigi's attack with little effort. Dark Luigi:"With my dark soul possessing Luigi's pure body, my strength and speed have been augmented! How can this be?" Fox:"Your strength and speed may have been augmented, but I'm _still_ more agile than you!"

Dark Luigi, however, immediately proved Fox wrong. Fox was indeed more agile, but Dark Luigi's augmented speed was too great to be dodged twice! Dark Luigi surged forward and grabbed Fox by the throat and hurled him towards the doorway. When Fox landed, he caught a glimpse of Krystal, Zelda and What's-Her-Name heading toward the East Wing. Fox:"[Inner] If I don't at least stall this creep for a while longer, Krystal and the others won't be able to escape in time!" Fox saw Dark Luigi charging again, but this time Fox knocked away his Dagger! This was followed by a roundhouse kick to the face. Fox saw Dark Luigi reaching for his Dagger on the floor, so Fox tried to tackle him.

Unfortunately, he missed. Dark Luigi tried to stab Fox, but Fox caught Dark Luigi's wrist. Dark Luigi's superhuman strength of 2,000 men was much more than Fox could stand up against. However, Dark Luigi began to feel that collecting Fox's soul wasn't worth all this effort, and punched Fox in the face! With his superhuman strength, Dark Luigi sent Fox flying out of the window in his room; right out over the moat of molten lava around the Keep! Fox screamed as he fell, and trailed off as he neared the molten stream.

Dark Luigi:"If I cannot have your soul, then I'll at least have your death to satisfy me, Fox McCloud! Hahahahahahaha! Now it is time for me to take complete control of the Koopa Kingdom!" With a wave of his arms, Dark Luigi opens up a dimensional portal. Hundreds upon hundreds of deranged monsters completely in service to Dark Luigi emerged and started to go throughout the Keep, searching for the wives! Among the soldiers he spawned was Pauline1, a former flare of Mario's. Using his Dark Magic, Dark Luigi mutated part of her body; her entire left half was morphed into cybernetics and her mind was altered so she'd be completely loyal to him. As she stepped forward, a clank could be heard from her left foot.

Dark Luigi:"One...last thing." Dark Luigi summoned up a tremendous amount of Dark Energy and formed a ball. Once enough energy was gathered, Dark Luigi hurled the ball up into the sky, directing it towards a very large star. The ball of Dark Energy hit the star, shattering it into seven pieces, which were scattered over the Koopa Kingdom by the four winds! Afterwards, Dark Luigi revealed his true self; the real Luigi's clothing was replaced by a suit of black armor, with a long, flowing black cape trailing behind it. Luigi's green hat was replaced by a black replica and Dark Luigi's eyes were solid, blood red. To complete the evil metamorphosis, Dark Luigi's mustache became pointed at the ends.

The soldiers that Dark Luigi had spawned had long since tracked down the wives and dragged them to the Main Hall. The wives gasped with fear at the appearance of Dark Luigi, who was accompanied at all times now by Pauline. Dark Luigi:"Fox McCloud is dead. With the Bowser Clan destroyed you have no hope, slaves!" At this, Dark Luigi focused his magic into a Dark Magic Whip and started to savagely attack all of the wives as they were pinned to the ground! All of them screamed with agony every time they were hit; the more they struggled to get free from the guards, the more they were beaten. After beating them for some time, Dark Luigi put everyone to work, including Daisy, doing the most outrageous choirs. If they weren't done to Dark Luigi's **exact** specifications, the soldiers would pin them down again, and the whole process would repeat!

Outside of the Keep, Fox was dangling above the river of lava, inches from having his tail singed off! With his animal-keen hearing, he was able to hear the cries of pain coming from his and the other Bowser Clan wives. As much as Fox absolutely hated it, if he was going to save them all, he'd have to fake death until the next night; which meant leaving his beloved Krystal at the "mercy" of Dark Luigi!

* * *

1Pauline first appeared in the arcade version of Donkey Kong. However, either when the game went to console or the sequel came out, the brunette character was replaced by a blonde one, namely, Princess Peach. Pauline wasn't heard from again for a large number of years afterwards.


	6. It's Darkest Before Dawn

Fox wandered off into Vista City. Everywhere he turned, Dark Luigi's soldiers were terrorizing the citizens. Some were putting up a fight, others surrendered without a battle. The ones that surrendered were treated almost fairly; the ones that resisted were savagely beaten. After a hour passed, Fox no longer noticed any soldiers around. He found a dark alley and decided to try to make the best out of this most loathsome situation; Bowser wasn't around, PG was no where to be found, and the rest of the Clan had been abducted! With great difficulty, Fox finally fell asleep.

Several hours later, Fox woke up and devised a plan. His plan would be difficult to execute, however, it was simple; Fox would sneak into the Keep and find the wives. He'd have Krystal lead them to the safety of Mushroom Kingdom (Dark Luigi's forces hadn't conquered that far as yet), and locate Dark Luigi. If all went well, Fox would be able to defeat Dark Luigi. If not, Fox hoped that somewhere in the world there would be someone who was able to stop the evil tyrant.

Fox's worry for his wife's safety was unbearable. Finally though, the time for Fox to execute his plan came. Fox ran through the city quickly and silently. When Fox reached the Keep, he quickly realized that Dark Luigi would most likely have the alarm set in the Keep, which meant that going through the front door wasn't an option. So, Fox performed **Fire Fox**, which allowed him to jet himself up to the second floor window. There were no guards in the immediate radius, so Fox's entry went completely unnoticed.

Fox strapped on a pair of **Inferred Goggles** he'd found in the partly demolished Police Station during the day. With them, he was able to see laser trip sensors. By using **Fox Illusion**, Fox was able to move at the speed of light, and pass through the lasers without setting off the alarm! Fox looked off of a balcony into the Main Hall. He saw several guards on the ground floor, but none were on the second floor with him. Fox ran towards his room. Within it, he discovered Krystal's Staff. After making it compact itself, Fox ran towards the security room, which was on the same floor. There, Fox saw a couple of guards, but they were easily defeated by the **McCloud Family Beam Sword**. Fox's weapon was silent, so it didn't attract any unwanted attention.

Once inside, Fox viewed the various cameras. After doing so, he discovered where the wives were being held during the nights. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be easy to get there. The wives were being held in the basement and several guards were posted by the doorway. But, Fox's determination knew no bounds. He immediately ran from the security room and towards the first floor. With the goggles he wore, he could see the body heat of the monstrous soldiers that Dark Luigi had in his service. Fox pulled out his Golden Blaster and started to fire that the guards. Again, this weapon was silent, so it didn't attract extra guards to thwart Fox's rescue mission.

Fox made his way towards the basement of the Keep, where the wives were being held. When Fox reached the bottom of the stairs, several guards caught sight of him. Guard:"Hey! It's the fox! He's still alive!" Guard 2:"We need to correct this before the Master finds out!" They started to fire laser and plasma weapons at Fox, which ended up being their demise. By ducking, Fox's **Reflector** activated, sending all the projectiles fired at him straight back at the guards! Most of the guards died, but one remained because he hadn't attacked. The guard pulled out a club of some sort and charged Fox. Fox answered right back with his Beam Sword. Fox chopped the monster's club in half and gave a lethal slice to the beast's chest!

The door that the wives were held behind suddenly burst open, and they cried out with fear, thinking it was Dark Luigi come to punish them. In reality, it was the monster that Fox just killed that knocked in the door, and he was close behind it. With a burst of energy, Krystal leaped up and kissed her husband. Krystal:"I knew you were still alive! I knew you'd come to save us!" Fox:"My pleasure. Krystal, take your staff. Lead the others to Mushroom Kingdom; our nemesis's forces haven't reached there yet as far as I know. I'm going after the tyrant."

Unknown to Fox, help was on the way; Bowser had long since finished his prayer readings and was riding back to Vista City at full speed! In the meantime, Fox noticed how all of the wives had been beaten, leaving large red scars on their backs and their clothes in tatters. But, with their rescue, some of their strength returned. With Fox's help, they all made it to the garage and used some of the vehicles. The engines roared to life and the wives were off, heading towards Mushroom Kingdom. Once Fox saw them off in the distance, he headed back into the Keep and went directly towards the Throne Room.

When the wives were about half a mile from the Keep, Krystal suddenly said, "I have to go back. Something in my heart is telling me to go back." The other wives tried to persuade her not to go, but she leaped out off the back of Peach's Kart and started to run back to the Keep on foot. The other wives, reluctantly kept going, leaving Krystal in their dust. After about twenty minutes, Krystal made it back to the Keep and went through the front door. The alarm was already going off from a guards discovery of Fox's exploits.

_Meanwhile..._Fox was taking the long way to the Throne Room; there were guards posted in all other directions, guards that Fox didn't want to face at the moment. Whenever he came across a laser trip sensor, he'd use Fox Illusion and pass through it. Eventually, Fox was able to reach the Throne Room without incident. This took all the twenty minutes that Krystal used to run to the Keep. The moment that Fox entered the Throne Room, the alarm ceased. Dark Luigi:"Hahahahaha! This is a most unexpected surprise, Fox McCloud. Welcome to Castle Luigina!"

_Elsewhere in the Keep..._Krystal was trying to reach the Throne Room, however, she was being delayed by the large number of guards that she had to hide from. The alarm had ceased when Fox entered the Throne Room about a minute ago, but the guards seemed to be able to smell her! Suddenly, the alarm started to scream again! Krystal had no idea who could've set off the alarm, but she was thankful to whomever it was, because now she had her chance to reach the Throne Room.

It turns out that just about two minutes after Krystal got back to the Keep, Bowser pulled up in the Koopa King! The instant he arrived, he knew something was terribly wrong; the sky had become a purplish-red and lightning struck around the Keep without a cloud in the sky! Bowser, of course, was no where near as subtle as the McClouds; he preferred the direct approach. Bowser entered through the front door of the Keep, and immediately ran towards the bedrooms in hopes of finding one of this friends. He searched through every room, including PG's. Bowser rummaged through the room, and finally, he found PG's "dead" body in the closet! Unlike the Bowser Clan members, Dark Luigi hadn't even given PG a proper burial! Thinking quickly, Bowser picked up PG's body and carried them down to the Koopa King.

Upon returning to the innards of the Keep, Bowser headed straight for the security room. He sought to use the cameras to potentially locate who was doing this or an ally. On one of the television screens, Bowser saw Fox preparing to fight Dark Luigi! Bowser:"Hold on, buddy!" With this, Bowser started to run with all the speed he could muster towards the Throne Room.

_Back in the Throne Room..._Dark Luigi focused his Dark Magic into a sword. While the sword didn't have the soul-stealing capabilities as the Dagger, it was still a deadly weapon. Fox armed himself with the **McCloud Family Beam Sword** and the two squared off against one another! Fox and Dark Luigi clashed blades against one another for quite a while, neither one giving way. Eventually, Dark Luigi slams Fox in the face. The blow sends Fox sailing towards the entrance to the Throne Room. He lands with a loud thud, just as Krystal enters the room.

Fox:"Krystal! I told you to get the other wives to safety! Now, forget about me and get out of here while you still can!" Krystal:"I'll do no such thing. My life would be meaningless without you, and besides [Tears form] I wouldn't even be alive if it weren't for you." Tears begin to form in Fox's eyes as well. Fox:"Alright, we'll fight this guy another day. Let's get outta here!"

The twosome dashes for the doors, but Dark Luigi creates a Dark Magic seal, preventing their exit. Dark Luigi:"Leaving so soon?" Fox proceeded to charge at the evil tyrant and clash blades with him once more. Soon, Fox was successful in disarming Dark Luigi, but he delivers another devastating blow to Fox. This attack sends Fox flying across the room, away from Krystal. Dark Luigi pins Krystal against the wall with a ray of Dark Magic. Dark Luigi:"Slave wench! I knew I should've taken your soul when I had the chance!" After this outburst, Dark Luigi beings to form a Dark Energy Ball above his head.

Dark Luigi:"This has the same soul-stealing qualities of my Dagger! Your soul is mine!" Fortunately for Krystal, Fox could recover very quickly, and ran to the rescue. With the extreme speed of Fox Illusion, he grabbed her off of the wall before Dark Luigi could throw his Dark Energy Ball, then they started to run for the exit once again. However, the doorway is still sealed by Dark Magic.

Dark Luigi knows that Fox and Krystal know there is no escape, so he teleports to the throne. Dark Luigi:"There is no escape! But, since I'm feeling generous, I'll make a deal with you, Fox. Give me your soul and I just might let your wife and the other wives go free, without a hunt." Fox loved his wife more than life itself, so he replied, "You swear?" Dark Luigi:"Cross my heart, hope to die." Dark Luigi's tone was anything but pleasant or sincere, but Fox felt that he had little choice. So, he took Krystal in his arms and kissed her, for what he thought would be the last time. Fox:"Just remember...I'll _always_ be there for you."

The Dark Energy Ball that Dark Luigi was forming above his head got larger the longer the couple talked. After a little bit, Fox turned towards Dark Luigi, ready to uphold his end of the deal. Dark Luigi looked back at the hero and sneered. Dark Luigi:"Fool! Did you really think that I was sincere! I wouldn't recommend activating that **Reflector** of yours either. If you do the Dark Energy Ball will disperse, and steal your wife's soul instead of both your's and her's!" Suddenly, to Fox and Krystal's immense relief and surprise, they saw the huge figure of Bowser leap down from the second floor balcony! He landed in front of the loving couple in a crouch and gave an tremendous roar. Bowser:"Touch them and **die**!"


	7. Preparing To Counterattack

Dark Luigi grinned at the dramatic entrance. Dark Luigi:"Ah, the prodigal King returns. Your soul will make a fine trophy!" Fox:"Bowser, move! My life isn't worth your soul!" The Dark Energy Ball that Dark Luigi threw drew ever closer to the behemoth. Just when it was about to hit, Bowser turned towards Fox and Krystal and said calmly, "That's where your wrong." The Ball stuck the huge hero, creating a thick cloud of purple smoke. Dark Luigi:"Hahahahahahahaha! That should've been enough to take all three of their souls! Now, nothing will be able to stop me!"

Suddenly, through the smoke, Dark Luigi heard a crash, and the Throne Room doors swung open! Dark Luigi:"WHAT! Guards, seize them!" Bowser:"Fox! Krystal! Get on my back!" Once they were on, Bowser started running as fast as he could towards the main entrance of the Keep. Bowser saw several guards standing in the way of the doors, so he gave a mighty leap, and the three of them went out through the second floor windows. The threesome descended towards the bridge, which lead to the Keep, where the Koopa King was waiting. Bowser landed with a thud next to his Go-Kart and got into the driver's seat. Fox and Krystal got onto the back and Bowser floored it.

Bowser:"Are you guys alright?" Krystal:"We could be better..." Fox was about to ask a few questions he wanted answered, but then realized now wasn't the time; they were being followed! The large vehicle behind them was being driven by one of Dark Luigi's monstrous guards. Fox pulled out his Golden Blaster and fired off a charged shot1. The vehicle behind them exploded, but suddenly five more replaced it! Worse still, an airborne quintet joined the ground assault squad! Bowser didn't want his friends to go through any more trouble, so he tossed a **Bowser Shell** behind him. The shell instantly grew to twenty times its size, ploughing through and destroying both the airborne threat and the ground assault squad; they were safe.

Bowser was traveling at 220 mph, so the group made it to Mushroom Kingdom in almost no time. Immediately after that, they reached the palace of Mushroom Kingdom. After hiding the Go-Kart in the palace garage, the trio left their seats. Bowser removed Fox and Krystal's seat to reveal a compartment, in which was PG's body. After this, they all went into the palace. Once they were inside, Krystal instructed them to head towards the princess's bedroom. They went as they were told, and found all the other Bowser Clan wives within the room, safe and sound. They all rejoiced when they saw that Fox and Krystal were safe, but they gave Bowser the coldest of shoulders.

Fox went over and sat near Krystal on the floor. Bowser laid PG's lifeless body at the entrance, then followed Fox. Bowser sat on the floor next to his dear friend, and that is when Princess Peach snapped. She stomped over towards Bowser and slapped him with all the might she could generate. Peach:"Where were you when your friends needed you? You saved Fox and Krystal, but what of Mario or the rest of our husbands?" Bowser was calm, almost expecting this kind of reception. Bowser:"I was off on a personal expedition, chasing a legend. But, all I can say is that Fox, PG, and I will make this right somehow!"

Fox:"Yeah, where were you anyway?" Bowser:"Like I said, I was off chasing a legend in a far off land. I figured that the remaining Bowser Clan members could handle anything that popped up while I was gone." What's-Her-Name:"What legend?" Bowser:"The legend was thus:`He who wields Mortal Protection and recites the 1,000 word prayer 1,000 times in 10 days shall be granted a heavenly Guard.' I went to the shrine depicted in the legend and found the prayer I was supposed to recite over and over again. I prayed non-stop for nine and a half days, then rested on the tenth. When I woke up, I discovered that my silver Safety Ring was replaced by a gold one."

Krystal:"Is that how you survived Luigi's Dark Energy Ball?" Bowser:"Exactly. The legend was true and it upgraded my Safety Ring to the Holy Ring; it grants the same protection as the Safety Ring but also gives immunity to Dark Magic. So, although obtaining it kept me from helping those I deeply care about, it is the weapon we need to get them back!" Zelda:"How? Their souls have been removed!" Bowser:"Grant it, whatever or whomever is possessing Luigi has removed their souls from their bodies, but he can't destroy them. They're being held in Limbo Canisters, located in the Koopa Tomb. And, before you ask, I forced my way into the security room and used the cameras. That's also how I found you two [motions towards Fox and Krystal] in the Throne Room."

Daisy:"What will happen to Luigi?" Fox:"I can't say. We'll try not to harm him, but we have only two options in this matter. One is to completely defeat him, the other is to force whatever is controlling him out." Bowser suddenly changed the subject. Bowser:"Fox, how long was PG been `dead'?" Fox:"As far as I can figure, he was one of the first victims, perhaps right after Mario." Bowser:"Good that means he'll wake up soon. We'll storm the Keep early tomorrow." Bowser gazed around the room, looking at each of the princesses; all of them had a small signal of hatred in their eyes. Bowser:"I can tell when I'm not wanted, but before I go, I just want you all to know something. The reason why you all weren't informed of my journey, was because I left that information with Luigi; he said that he'd tell you on my behalf. Unfortunately, the Luigi we know may have already been gone, and the monster possessing him had no intention of telling you at all."

Though they were somewhat reassured, the princesses still "blamed" Bowser for what happened. After telling them his reasons for their ignorance, Bowser solemnly left the room. Fox and Krystal were able to see past their sorrow and see that no one was to blame, so Fox followed Bowser out of the room. Bowser headed downstairs towards the guest room. When he got there, Bowser sunk to the floor, unaware that Fox was behind him.

Fox:"Hey." Bowser turned and smiled at his friend's loyalty. Fox:"I was meaning to ask you something for a while; how did you know about what was happening, and why are you taking this so much harder than everybody else?" Bowser:"Well, after praying for nine and a half days straight, with only my Koopa DNA's **Healing Factor** giving me energy, I collapsed and drifted into a deep sleep. There, I dreamt of terrible things to come. I saw horrible images and sprang awake in a cold sweat. When I looked at my hand, I saw the Holy Ring fused to my flesh and realized that both the legend and the warning I received in my dream were true. I also realized, that I had been blessed with an accessory that could help solve the problem I saw in my vision. So, I sprang from the top of the chapel and landed in the Koopa King. From there, I sped back here as quickly as I could. To answer your other question, I swore to myself that even if I was at the gates of **Hell** itself, I'd be there for you guys; I wasn't, and now I'm going to make up for it."

Fox:"I don't know why the others are giving you the cold shoulder. I guess they needed to blame somebody and let their emotions out. They probably thought that your Healing Factor works on emotional wounds as well." Bowser smiled for the first time since they'd reached the Palace. Bowser:"Well, it doesn't, and Peach never liked me anyway." The two of them started to laugh, but they were stopped short when they heard gagging and coughing in the distance. These were followed by the sound of a Frinesi cocking. PG:"I'm gonna kill that sonovagun!" Puppet/Gatorous came down the stairs and went straight for the guest room. Fox:"[Upon seeing him] Well, I can see that 10 days in Limbo didn't change him one bit." PG:"Shove it! What's the plan on how we're gonna put this lowlife in the ground?" Bowser:"We won't be burying Luigi! Now, get some rest. We'll storm the Keep in the morning."

* * *

1The charged Blaster shot came from the game Star Fox:Assault. Previous mentions in my stories about Fox's Blaster were from Super Smash Bros., in which he fired straight shots that couldn't be charged. When fully charged, the Blaster's power increases to about 20 times the normal potency.

I got the idea for the "Golden Blaster" after watching "The Man With The Golden Gun". It basically serves as an offensively augmented blaster that is 5 times stronger than a basic one.


	8. Escape From Limbo

Early the next morning, the three heroes sped towards Bowser's Keep in the Koopa King, arriving a little past dawn. PG:"I only have eight shells, Dad. Where the rest?" Bowser:"That wasn't on my to-do list when I was saving Fox and Krystal. They're probably in your safe." PG:"No problem." Once again taking the direct approach, Bowser punched the doors to the Keep, sending them flying wide open! This, of course, set off the alarm system in the Keep. Fox:"Isn't that the exact same thing you did last time?" Bowser:"Err...yeah." PG:"Well, you set off the alarm!" Bowser:"On that note, PG, I need you to find the security room and disable the alarm system. After you do that, make your way to the Koopa Tomb and get the others out of Limbo. We'll head for the Throne Room and take out our possessed friend." PG:"Fine! Good luck, guys!"

With that, they separated. Guards from all over the Keep were going after PG and the others, however, the vast majority of those guards went after Puppet/Gatorous; they were deemed the bigger threat. PG, however, had little ammunition, so the first thing they did was to float towards their bedroom. In a safe within the room, PG had a backpack full of Frinesi ammunition. PG saw that in front of their room, several guards were posted. PG took aim and fired, hitting one in the upper body, killing it. The other guards opened fire with plasma weapons, but they were no match for PG. PG had one shell with each of their names on it. However, PG took a few shots in the process.

Fortunately, PG's brother, Mr. Pillow, had given them an Eternal Life Potion1 years ago. This potion also served to give PG a Healing Factor that was just as potent as Bowser's! However, unlike Bowser's, which healed continuously, PG had to be idle (not receive any injuries) for 10 seconds before he could heal. Within second, PG's wounds were completely healed. PG knew that more guards would be after him shortly, so he went into his room and located his safe. Within it, PG found their backpack of ammo and reloaded their Frinesi. After locking his safe, Puppet/Gatorous left their room and headed towards the security room down the hall.

After pecking around the corner to make sure no guards were there, PG broke down the door to the security room and disabled several guards within the room. PG entered the room unnoticed and unharmed. Soon, PG was at the controls, reprogramming the security. Within moments, PG's job was complete and the alarm stopped! In addition, the cameras were shut off, preventing any further disturbance to the mission. Now all that was left, was to get the other Bowser Clan members out of Limbo!

After reloading again, PG snook around the corner and spotted two doors in front of Mr. Pillow's old room. PG:"[Inner] I knew it! The spirit is using Mr. Pillow's old Lab2 to maintain the Limbo Canisters!" PG proceeded to take out these two guards, completely unnoticed, and enter the room, locking the door behind him. After locating and using a secret elevator in the room, PG descended into the lower levels of the Keep and into the Lab.

The first few rooms of the Lab were completely abandoned, but soon PG came to the Koopa Tomb, which was connected to Mr. Pillow's Lab. Within the Tomb, there were enough coffins for Bowser's entire "family". PG was able to tell which ones already had Bowser Clan members within them easily; the lids of such coffins were bolted down tight. After scanning the room, PG noticed a doorway that didn't use to be there before. PG started in the direction of this room, but stopped when he heard a "clank" behind him!

PG turns to see a shadowy, unfamiliar figure! PG:"Whoa!" PG opened fire on the figure, unloading all six of their remaining shells into it. The creature plowed through PG's barrage and started to hit them repeatedly! After about six attacks, the being used one hand to choke either puppet! PG gagged and gasped for air, but then his enemy tossed him across the Tomb! Fortunately, PG landed with their Frinesi and Backpack still on their person.

The thing was the cybernetic Pauline, covered from head to toe in strength-enhancing armor! Pauline:"Your little toy can't penetrate my armor, Puppet/Gatorous! Surrender and join the Master!" PG was hiding behind one of the coffins, and searched through their Backpack. They looked past the ordinary red shells and pulled out 8 orange shells, then loaded them into their gun. PG:"Alright, you hussy! You want more firepower, [cocks Frinesi] I'll give you more firepower!"

PG removed themselves from their hiding spot and fired at Pauline. The shot hit Pauline's left cybernetic arm with explosive force! PG's orange shells could explode on contact! PG fired once more, and clipped her right arm! A third and a fourth shot clipped the armor on her right and left legs respectively. A three shot burst leading up her torso clipped a large chunk of her armor! Pauline began to gasp and cough, for she was grievously injured. PG's last shot hit Pauline in the face, with an extremely gruesome result. Puppet/Gatorous reloaded their gun with ordinary shells and headed towards the unknown room. Before they entered they looked back and said, "Catch ya later, `Blew-eyes'!"

When PG went inside the room, they saw 11 Canisters, three of which were empty; one for himself, one for Bowser, and one for Fox. At the end of the row of Canisters, PG saw a control panel with flashing lights. PG fired at it, but the panel was covered by steel, causing their shell to do little damage. PG:"Alright." With that, they removed the ordinary shells from their gun and reloaded it with orange ones. PG:"Let's see you stand up to _this_!" PG fired an explosive shell at the control panel, which as they expected, exploded on contact! What they didn't expect, however, was for the Canisters to explode as well! The explosions sent PG slamming into the wall behind them. After they recovered, they went back into the Tomb.

PG arrived back in the Tomb just in time to see a blue-gloved fist burst through the lid of one of the coffins. PG:"Well, at least whomever's possessing Luigi had enough courteously to give you guys proper burials; the jerk just left my carcass in my room!" Jim laughed and started helping PG unseal the rest of the coffins. PG saw another coffin explode into splinters. From the coffin's remains, Kirby emerged. Eventually, all of the Bowser Clan members were freed. Mario:"PG! What on Earth happened?" PG:"It's a story I don't have time to tell right now. But, the long and the short of it is that a villainous soul has possessed Luigi. I need you guys to search the world for the **Star Pieces**. Link, you come with me. I have a good idea who possessed Luigi and you're the best man to deal with him!"

* * *

1The Eternal Life Potion gives pg the ability to revive themselves from the dead. Should they get into a situation that would kill someone, they would reappear in the exact same spot where their hearts fell, 10 days later.

2Mr. Pillow's alias, Mr. Large, is the most evil terrorist the world has ever seen. He used various labs, including one below Bowser's Keep to make highly explosive grenades, manufacture drugs, and other illegal activities.


	9. Mystery Man Revealed

_Meanwhile..._Bowser and Fox charged through the hallway leading towards the Throne Room. Fox:"Be careful, Bowser. Luigi turned the traps on. I was able to get through them by using Fox Illusion, but you're huge and slow. No offense." Bowser:"None taken. How many traps did you run into?" Fox:"All of them. I had Inferred Goggles, but they were knocked off while I was battling Luigi." Bowser:"Were there guards?" Fox:"Lots. That's why I took the long way." Bowser:"Well, I don't think they'll be able to stand up to me, and besides, all the guards are after PG right now anyway."

Suddenly, a large group of guards appeared from the bowels of the hallway! Fortunately, Bowser tripped a wire in front of the Throne Room. A Nitro Menthane Bomb dropped from the ceiling and exploded in the middle of the hall! Bowser:"Fox! Get off!" Fox leaped from his friend's back and crouched down behind Bowser, who was also crouched down on all fours. The explosion surged into them, but Bowser was shielding Fox with his gargantuan body. The explosion dissipated, and Fox emerged unscathed. The guards weren't so lucky. Bowser also suffered horrifying wounds, but they were nothing that his Healing Factor couldn't take care of. In a matter of moments, the two were at the Throne Room doors, and the wounds that would've killed an ordinary creature were completely healed. The doors were sealed by a heavy iron bar, but Bowser broke the bar with one punch and the doors flew open! Bowser and Fox entered the room to see Dark Luigi standing in front of the throne.

Dark Luigi:"Well, I see that you two managed to escape my guards in our last encounter. But, you didn't really think I wasn't expecting this regrouped attack, did you? Pauline is down in the remains of the Lab, getting equipment ready. When she's finished, she's going to hunt down the Wario Brothers. They've apparently acquired a piece of the destroyed Star Road. I intend to see that they never get a chance to use it, for only a wish to the stars can defeat me!" Fox pulled out his Beam Sword, but Bowser stopped him. Bowser:"My gut is telling me that a nasty surprise is coming this way; be on the look out for it. In the meantime [sterns tone] this soul-stealing freak is mine!"

Bowser rushed Dark Luigi, but he moved at superhuman speed away from Bowser. As for Fox, it turned out that Bowser's gut feeling was right; a multitude of guards started coming from the hallway and Fox soon had his hands full! Dark Luigi was toying with Bowser, taking advantage of his huge, slow body. Dark Luigi:"By the way, who is the third ally you brought to keep the guards off your backs? Hmm...was it Fox's darling Krystal? Or perhaps an emotionally crushed Princess Peach wanting revenge? What of the love of my...former life, Daisy?" Bowser:"None of the above, you sick..." Bowser was stopped short; Dark Luigi had pulled out his Dagger and, before Bowser could do anything, Dark Luigi stabbed him in the forehead!

Dark Luigi:"That huge, bleeding heart of yours will make a fine trophy!" Suddenly, Bowser grabbed Dark Luigi by the throat and chucked him across the room! Bowser then pulled the Dagger out of his head and tossed it out a window, into the moat of molten lava below! Dark Luigi:"It seems that the presumably false legend I told you was true after all, but how? Earthly protection of the Safety Ring is required, and that was never found! I should know if you had it, because I know everything Luigi does!" Bowser:"Then, it would seem that your mastery over Luigi's body, mind, and soul isn't as complete as you thought!" Across the room, Fox was having an easy time defeating the unskilled guards that continuously attacked! Back in the other brawl, Dark Luigi powered up his fist with dark, purple energy and swung at Bowser, who effortlessly stops the incoming attack. Bowser:"You're never going to learn are you...Ganondorf?"


	10. All's Well That Ends Well

Dark Luigi:"So, you figured it out. Indeed, the Black Pendant around my neck did allow me to infiltrate that weak spirited fool's mind, body, and soul. Hahahahahaha! Go ahead, Bowser, hit me. I know your weakness; Luigi may have been able to hide the fact that you had the Safety Ring from me, but he couldn't hide your weak point! No matter how angry you get at your friends, you can never bring yourself to physically harm them. [Mocking] You won't hurt me, I'm Luigi!" To Dark Luigi's immense surprise, he saw Bowser's left fist clinch! Bowser:"YOU ARE NOT LUIGI!" Between each word, Bowser slammed Dark Luigi with alternating fists; upon saying his friend's name, Bowser cold-clocked Dark Luigi, sending him sailing across the room.

Dark Luigi struggled to get to his feet. Bowser, eyes ablaze, stomped towards Dark Luigi. Bowser:"The Luigi I know would not kill his friends. The Luigi I know would not try to conquer the world. But most of all, the Luigi I know would **never** turn his wife, or his friends' wives, into slaves!" Bowser was upon the weakened Dark Luigi, and slammed him into stone floor of the Keep. This was followed by an even more brutal slam into the wall. Bowser then proceeded to throw Dark Luigi in Fox's direction, who had long since defeated the last of the guards. When Dark Luigi got to his feet, Fox used his Beam Sword and cut the straps of Dark Luigi's armor and roundhoused him in the face.

After this series of attacks, Dark Luigi stood up and started to laugh evilly! Dark Luigi:"Go ahead you two, keep pounding away at me; you're only harming Luigi! You'll never be able to harm the real me until you can force me out!" Suddenly, four arrows hit Dark Luigi's unprotected chest! Out of each arrow, four orbs of light appeared and plunged themselves into Dark Luigi's body. Dark Luigi:"Guuhhh! Gwaaaaaa!" The flames that were in Bowser's eyes left as he turned to look on the balcony; on the balcony stood Link! In the other direction, a gold flash filled the room and Luigi's body slumped to the floor; this Luigi was in his original clothing, but he still had the **Light Arrows** sticking out of his body!

A few yards away, the King of Evil himself stood. Ganondorf:"Curse you, Link! How did your soul escape from those Limbo Canisters!" Suddenly, a small explosion hit Ganondorf's chest and sent him flying! PG entered the room, with their Frinesi still smoking. Ganondorf rose slowly and glared over at Puppet/Gatorous. Ganondorf:"You abomination against nature! I killed you first thing after Mario! How are you alive?" PG:"News flash, Scumbag! I'm immortal!" PG fired again and another explosive shell hit Ganondorf in the chest. PG:"Sure, you may be able to kill me, but I'll just come back in ten days time! My soul freed itself from your Canisters 10 days after my death, just like it should have!" Ganondorf:"Looks like we're in the same boat; only the **Master Sword** can defeat me!"

Link leaped down from the balcony and aimed another Light Arrow at Ganondorf. Link:"I can't believe I trusted you." Ganondorf:"You didn't actually think that our races1 three years ago meant anything, did you? It took everything in me not to hurl you into oblivion within the Shadow Temple. All those races did was gain your trust. Before I appeared before you in Hyrule, I went through the Pendent around his [points to Luigi] neck! Once I knew I could, all I had to do was wait until that moron grabbed the Pendent and allowed me to possess him! Everything went exactly to plan..." Link had heard enough and fired his Light Arrow, hitting Ganondorf straight between the eyes!

While Ganondorf was stunned, Bowser rushed over to Luigi and used his **Blood Trick**, which completely healed him. Immediately afterwards, Bowser ripped the Black Pendent off of Luigi's neck. Ganondorf recovered, and tried to possess Bowser! However, Bowser's Holy Ring protected him from Ganondorf's Dark Magic! Bowser chucked the Pendent out of a window, sending it plummeting to the lava below. Once it hit the molten stream, Ganondorf started to groan with agony and everybody watched as Ganondorf's gauntlets started glowing orange! After a few seconds, the gauntlets disintegrated!

Ganondorf:"Curse you all! You've destroyed by last way out of the Sacred Realm!" Ganondorf started to float in the air and raised his hands above his head. A huge ball of Dark Magic with tremendous power began to form in his hands! Suddenly, however, he was struck by a beam of yellow, causing him to fall to his knees! The others turned to see Zelda! Zelda:"Hurry! I can only hold him for a short time!" Acting quickly, PG fired once more, while Fox and Bowser used Hyper Laser and Super Nova Blast respectively. As these blasts surged forward, Link followed. The concussion of the blasts severely weakened Ganondorf. His last sight was Link leaping at him with the Master Sword. Link delivered the final blow and suddenly, hundreds of shards of light started to emanate from Ganondorf's body!

Link knew what to do next; he hurled the **Ocarina of Time** at Zelda. She caught it and immediately played the _Song of Time_. A blue circle, with the Triforce Symbol in the middle of it, appeared below Ganondorf and encased him. It began to rise from the floor; the more it rose the more of Ganondorf that got erased! Ganondorf:"Curse you, Zelda! Curse you, Link! CURSE YOU ALL!" Those were the last words that any of them ever heard from Ganondorf, the King of Evil!

Finally, with the evil threat of Ganondorf eliminated, Link and Zelda were able to embrace one another. Link:"How did you know that the fiend behind all this was Ganondorf?" Zelda:"I first suspected it was Ganondorf when he was torturing all of us; the only job that Ganondorf was good at was being a slave driver. Whenever we fail to do a task to his _exact_ commands, he'd have his soldiers pin us all down and beat the lot of us fiercely. However, when he would hit me, he seemed to take extra, sadistic pleasure out of it. Then, there was order of the murders; sure, he took Mario out first to make Luigi look guilty. That was, I suppose, followed by Puppet/Gatorous. Most likely, because he witnessed the terrible event of Mario's `death'. The very next victim was Link! After the original three of you left Mushroom Kingdom Palace, I put two and two together and, following my `feminine intuition' I summoned Epona and rode for the Keep. When I arrived, I simply used experience; Ganondorf was a insatiable egomaniac. If he was on the throne, he would **stay** on the throne. So, I ran straight for the Throne Room, arriving just in time to stun Ganondorf. Now that he is defeated, peace can return to our world."

Fox:"Yeah, we killed the maniac, but what about all the damage? Everybody else in the world thinks that Luigi did it!" PG:"Don't you worry about that. I've got sort of a `search and rescue' mission going." Bowser:"What do you mean?" PG:"I sent the other revived Bowser Clan members to search for the missing Star Pieces! So, we'll be able to fix this very soon!" Almost immediately after PG said this, Mario walked into the room, accompanied by the other Bowser Clan wives. Even better than seeing them all alright, they had the 1st Blue Star Piece in their possession!

Upon seeing each other, Fox and Krystal embraced with joy. Daisy walked over to Luigi, who was still unconscious. As he slowly regained consciousness, he saw Daisy and placed his arms in front of himself, as though he was going to block an attack! Daisy:"Relax, Baby." She said it as calmly and gently as ever, and removed Luigi's arms from his face. Following this, she kissed him right on the lips. As the others watched this joyous moment, they heard from behind them, "Doh! It's a `Kodak Moment'!" They all turned to see Banjo-Kazooie enter the room, with the Green Star Piece in tow. B-K:"We found it in the Forest Maze." Bowser hugged the bear and bird duo, welcoming them back to world of the living.

Off in the distance, the group could hear the sound of a rocket engine getting closer and closer. A few moments later, the observed rocket suddenly burst through a window, holding a figure which was holding the Orange Star Piece! Earthworm Jim:"Here, guys! Let's make this world groovy again!" PG:"Did you find that in the Moleville Mines?" Jim:"Sort of. The guy that runs the trolley found it in the mines and gave it to me, free of charge!" Once the third Piece was found, the Stars started to glow and react with one another, creating a white light.

A few moments later, Mewtwo teleported into the room, holding the Purple Star Piece. Mewtwo:"I discovered this one on Star Hill." PG:"I'm beginning to see a pattern here..." Mario:"You're right, PG! They've all dropped into the same places as before!" Bowser:"Well, except for one. Apparently, one of the Pieces dropped next to the Wario Brothers' mansion. Ganondorf was complaining that the Wario Brothers had acquired a Star Piece." With the addition of the fourth Piece, the light that emanated from the Stars intensified.

A few minutes later, Kirby floated through the window that Jim busted with his rocket. When he landed, Kirby spit out the 2nd Blue Star Piece. I had to do a little wheelin' and dealin' with old Johnathan Jones in the Sunken Ship to get this." With the addition of the fifth Piece, the bright white glow of the Star Pieces changed to a golden color. About fifteen minutes later, Samas appeared in the Throne Room. Her armor was glowing red hot, but she was holding the Red Star Piece. Samas:"I don't know how that Hinoppo guy can stand living the Barrel Volcano. At least your guys took care of the Czar Dragon2 already; I found the Star without much trouble at all." With this addition, the golden light became almost unbearably intense.

Shortly after Samas arrived, Fox received a call on his communicator, which he could use to talk to other Star Fox members. Fox:"Hello?" Falco:"Hey, Fox! It's good to know that everybody else is alright. Listen, I found the Yellow Star Piece, but there's a slight snag..." Fox:"Let me guess, the Wario Brothers have it?" Falco:"Yeah, and they want money." Fox:"Here, maybe Bowser better talk to them..." Bowser:"Alright, put 'em on..."

Shortly afterwards, Falco landed his ARWING in front of the Keep. Everybody was outside to greet him when he got out of his ship. Falco:"So, what did you give them for the Star Piece?" Bowser:"Nothing." Falco:"Then, how come they let me leave with this?" Falco reached into his ARWING's storage compartment and presented the final Yellow Star Piece to Bowser. Bowser:"I just let them keep what money they had; I gave them immunity to taxes for life, since they still live within the Koopa Kingdom."

PG:"Yeah, I haven't been around much lately. Why did you kick them out of the Bowser Clan and the Keep in the first place?" Bowser:"They were embezzling government funds." PG:"Technically, that gets the death penalty." Bowser:"I'm aware of that. But, they're still my friends, so I couldn't have them killed." Falco placed the seventh Star in with the rest of them and started a chain reaction! The glowing light became a constant gold flash, which suddenly exploded, filling the area with a gold light. When this light was finished, the Star Pieces were gone!

Everybody looked up into the sky to see a huge star replace what was once empty space. As they were looking up, a tiny star flew down out of the sky and appeared before them. The star was Geno3, in his natural form. Geno:"Thank you for once again repairing the Star Road once again. When Dark Luigi destroyed it, I started looking all over the world for them. I never expected them to be in the exact same places as they were before, but that's beside the point; make a wish, and I'll make absolutely certain that it is granted!" Everybody present:"We wish for everything to return to as it was before this terrible event!"

The sky that was once purplish-red from Ganondorf's poisonous Dark Magic, suddenly changed back to its normal blue color. Immediately following that, a tremendous white flash blinded everyone. When they opened their eyes, they were all back inside the Keep! Before everybody's eyes, the scars from Ganondorf's whipping, which spread all across all the wives' backs, were completely healed and their clothes repaired! Geno:"Though everyone involved will remember those events, it's best if the general population forgets them; I've taken the liberty of erasing all of their memories of these past events! Farewell, everyone!" With that, Geno disappeared.

Fox eyed the deluxe digital clock hanging from the wall. It read:"6:00 AM, 10/21/2006." Fox:"Guys, look! The clock reads the date 10 days ago! Geno must've warped us back in time before this whole thing even happened!" Bowser looked down at his hand, and instead of seeing a silver ring fused to his flesh, he saw a golden one! Bowser:"Not entirely. Geno allowed me to keep the Holy Ring, and probably left the Black Pendant incinerated in the lava pools as well." Luigi immediately ran to his room and rummaged through his nightstand, with meticulous care. What he found, as he'd hoped, was that the Black Pendant wasn't in his nightstand!

Luigi ran back downstairs to the Main Hall and reported his finding to everybody. Daisy:"I'm glad that dreadful experience is done with. But, still, do you think we'll ever meet that accursed man again?" Zelda:"I can't say. Ganondorf has escaped from the Sacred Realm before, and he _does_ still have the **Power Segment of the Triforce**; only time will tell." Bowser:"But if that lowlife ever shows his face again, we'll be down on him like a mountain of bricks! Oh, and on that note, it gives me great pleasure to induct my adoptive son(s), Puppet/Gatorous, into the Clan. PG's soldier/secret service experience will be of immense aid to us; besides, we need to replace the Wario Brothers. All of those in favor..."

All the other Bowser Clan members raised their hands _**very slowly**_. Fox:"I know that the two of us haven't always gotten along, but heck, with you on the Clan there'll never be a dull moment!" PG:"Nice to know you feel that way, because all of you guys would be seeing a lot of me soon anyway; that scumbag of a brother of mine is causing havoc again." B-K:"Come on! Do we have to talk about this now! We're starvin'!" Everybody laughed and headed for the kitchen. At breakfast, everyone discussed the events in great detail, ending a frightening and difficult mission, in the most perfect way possible!

Mission Accomplished!

* * *

1See the third Bowser Clan Adventure-Link's Great Race.

2The Czar Dragon is the Mid-Boss of the Barrel Volcano in Super Mario RPG:Legend of the Seven Stars. Mario and Bowser were required to defeat two forms of this monster in a row to win access to the Red Star Piece.

3Geno is the third character that joins your party in Super Mario RPG:Legend of the Seven Stars. He accompanies Mario and Bowser throughout the entire quest by possessing a doll, of the same name.


End file.
